Men's Amateur Team Championship: Ireland produced another sensational display to pulverise their rivals and storm almost contemptuously into the quarter-finals of the European Men's Amateur Team championship over the Royal Hague links in the Netherlands yesterday.
Rarely has an Irish side dominated to such an extent as they topped the first flight by an amazing 11 strokes.
Wales also qualified comfortably, while England edged through by the skin of their teeth. But reigning champions Scotland tamely surrendered their title.
Having established a first-day lead, Mark Gannon's men were never going to falter, and Ballyclare's Gareth Maybin gave them just the sort of start they wanted when his level par 72 immediately took the pressure off his team-mates.
Maybin missed a few putts but was generally solid in all departments. He had a superb birdie two on the fourth, where he slapped a three-iron to within 14 feet of the stick, and he also canned an eight-footer two holes later.
Three putts on the ninth and a dropped stroke on the 13th were his only hiccups, and Ireland were delighted with the start.
Athlone's Colm Moriarty returned a 75 but claimed he did not hole a putt all day, while newcomer Brian McElhinney shone yet again by taking 73 and edging Ireland closer to that top spot.
After a birdie at the first, McElhinney had back-to-back three-putts, but he picked up a couple of birdies before missing the green at the short eighth and reaching the turn in level par 37.
Coming home, the North West club star had eight pars and just one bogey - at the 14th, where he played a poor second shot.
Justin Kehoe from Birr, who had equalled the course record on Tuesday with a 66, was round in 73 and only just missed out on being the leading individual for the 36 holes of strokeplay.
Kehoe finished well, knocking a seven-iron to 15 feet at the 17th for a birdie two and narrowly missing a par at the last.
Portmarnock's Noel Fox, who fired a 69 on Tuesday, added a 74 yesterday despite taking two sixes and a seven.
In today's quarter-finals Ireland meet Sweden, with captain Gannon declaring: "We have won part one of the championship - now for part two."
On the evidence of the performance of the first two days Ireland could well clinch the title this week for the first time for 16 years. They were runners-up to Scotland in Malmo in 2001, but look even more impressive this time.
STROKEPLAY QUALIFYING ROUNDS - First Flight: 716 - Ireland (G Maybin 72, C Moriarty 75, B McElhinney 73, J Kehoe 73, N Fox 74, M McGeady 81 discounted); 727 - Norway; 729 Netherlands; 732 - Wales (A Smith 71, C Smith 76, G Wright 73, N Edwards 73, S Manley 76, D Price 76 discounted); 733 - Spain; 734 - France; 737 - England (G Wolstenholme 75, R Finch 75, J Lupton 74, R Fisher 71, O Wilson 69, R Walker 75 discounted), Sweden. Second flight: 737 - Italy; 743 - Scotland; 747 - Germany; 748 - Portugal; 751 - Finland; 753 - Denmark, Iceland; 758 - Slovenia. Third Flight: 758 - Austria; 764 - Belgium; 766 - Switzerland; 784 - Czech Republic.
